One of the real gems of the trip that I wasn’t expecting was Antwerp. After a 60 mile ride from Bruges, I rolled up to the river and saw an amazing city skyline across the water.
Antwerp - Across the Sea
Bridge? What Bridge?
I had no idea how to get to the other side of the river and my Belgian isn’t quite upto snuff, so I was a bit lost. My GPS kept telling me to go across the water but there was no road to be found.
Lots of boats on the sides of the river. Maybe you have to be ferried across – seems kind of inefficient, but who knows? So, I explored the river bank. I rode a couple miles in each direction and still couldn’t find any way across.
Finally, I decided to trust the directions I was getting from my GPS and I zeroed in exactly on the place it was telling me to go. Lo and behold, there’s a building there. Inside the building, I discovered an ancient escalator. The entire thing was made of wood – the sides, th e housing, even the slats on the steps.
Carrying a 90 pound bike on an escalator was a challenge, but I was motivated by not wanting to kill the people below me if it slid down willy-nilly.
At the base of the escalator was the tunnel to get to the main part of the city. The tunnel was long and built for pedestrian traffic, of which there were thousands taking advantage (due in part to an event the city was hosting).
Hostel Territory
I checked in at the hostel, which was not my favorite. The place was essentially a bar with owners who decided to make a few extra bucks by renting out the crappy rooms upstairs – the floor of the bar patio was covered in sand, which meant everything in the hostel was, too.
The stairs were winding, as is the case in most old buildings in Europe, but these also added an angle of inclination with each step. By the time you got to the third story, they sat at about a 30 degree angle. God help anyone who had to climb those drunk.
Finally, the hostel (which housed about 30 people) had one restroom, one stall, one shower. I’m glad I shower in the afternoon since I’m off riding in the mornings.
Wanna Watch The Boat Races?
As far as the city goes, I lucked out big time. I arrived on the final day of the Tall Boat races. While the races were over by the time I arrived, I did get to see a nautical parade of old style sailing boats and their crews – including some who were hanging from the masts 120 feet up.
The city is really beautiful and it’s a place I’d love to go back to again for a longer stay. As it was, I was pretty exhausted so after an unexpected encounter with the city’s red-light zone (more on that in two days), it was time to head for bed and rest up for the next day’s ride to Rotterdam.
Awesome pics and nice find. I don’t see anybody write about Antwerp. It’s this kind of exposition that makes me love travelers and bloggers.
Keith´s last [type] ..10 Things Zorba the Greek Taught Me About Life
Thanks Keith – I think you’ll enjoy Thursday’s post as well. It’s a bit more colorful.
Hopefully you didn’t have to carry your bike up those stairs to your hostel.
Cornelius Aesop´s last [type] ..New Brew Tuesday- Pisco
Thank goodness, no. I just had to drag it across the sand and lock it up in the back of the bar patio. At least it was covered, though I had to shake a fair amount of sand out of the gears the next day!
Wow, what a cool looking tunnel! No elevators, though, huh? That’s rough. How do people in wheelchairs get across the river?
Gray´s last [type] ..Norwegian Epic- An Adult Playground
From what I could tell, there ARE elevators, but they were under refurbishment.
Other than that, I think there are bridges (or at least driving tunnels, of course), but they’re several miles away and I wasn’t sure where they were at the time.
Sand and no surf or babes. So not cool.
Nomadic Chick´s last [type] ..Gypsy Wednesday – Why Travel and Being a Girl Rocks
Yeah, I don’t know if it was for some special party they had and hadn’t yet cleaned out or what, but it was a mess!
Joel´s last [type] ..Running A Red Light District In Antwerp